My chicken coop stinks

[Judy]

I use pine shavings, DE and pelleted lime. DE does other good things, I esp. use it in their dust bathing spots, but pelleted lime is much cheaper, and just as effective at managing flies and odors. I like the pelleted form, which costs maybe 50 cents more for 40 lbs., because it is not at all dusty. Wood pellets also control odor well, but are pricey.

 

[mamayolk-um]

hi the first time i had chicks i had the same problem, now I use wood shavings, like you use in horse stalls. It doesn't smell and is easier to keep clean. I Also use them in the nesting boxes under the straw. mamayolk-um

 

[Jolyn]

I use only pine shavings and honestly it doesn't get too bad. When it does start to get smelly i clean out the biggest messes and then add more pine shavings on top. Works great. In the winter i do need to clean it out more often because of the wet weather here.

You don't have too many chickens in the space do you?

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I have been using hydrated lime in my dog kennel and other areas. It works real well until it gets rained on, then it turns into a mushy looking mess. My chicken lot (the outside area) has been real stinky

here lately due to all the wet weather we have been having. Hydrated lime is okay to use around chickens?? I figured it would have some adverse effect on them because it is so dusty and dry.Soon as the monsoon season is over here, maybe I can get the smell down in the lot.

 

[quiltnchik]

Hay and/or straw is going to hold moisture. Switch to the pine shavings and then use the deep litter method (DLM) - it really works! I just sprinkle some DE in the coop, along with some fresh shavings once a week and there's no smell other than fresh bedding.

I use straw in my run and just cleaned it out today after only 3 weeks (we've had a LOT of rain here), but the chicks had done a wonderful job starting the composting process, so I just tossed it all on the compost pile and put down a thin layer of fresh straw - again, no smell

 

[Kung Foo Chicken]

Composted pine needles seriously. It is the mat that forms where needles fall off and partially dissolve over the years. One can check this themselves. After a big rain wait an hour or two and walk under the pines. The ground is nearly dry. Dirt itself takes days to dry though.

I noticed this by accident last year when I put a coop and 20x10 dog kennel under my pine trees. The cage floor never appears dirty and slushy like my cages in the garden. The smell is that of pine needles. Only thing was during the winter the limbs broke and threatened my chickens. I moved that cage and shoveled the needle compost into their new area. It still works. Free resource.

If you don't have anywhere to get this however I would recommend getting a few bales of pine needles (straw) and borrow a neighbor's chipper/shredder if you don't have one. Send the stuff though.

Tried many things-
Mulch-Gets too moldy
Straw-Vanishes into the mud and makes stringy mud, moldy
Sand-Like trapping/stepping on slugs on top of the ground.
Pine Shavings-Vanish into the mud, (Way too costly for 70x70 cage.)

 

[granola friend]

well, now i used mulch and it works really good is better than hay aldo i used sweet pdz once a week

But thanks a lot

 

[elmo]

I wonder how much the feed itself affects the odor of the poo. I know when I switched feeds when my chicks were young I noticed a dramatic difference...no more chicken smell. And since they were still indoors then, it was very noticeable.

 

[lambchicks]

kung foo chicken, what would be the draw back of pine needles not shreaded?

 

[pjfarm]

On dealing with smelly coops: What is DE and what is stall dry? I use sweet PDZ in my horse stalls, it is similar to the above?